Posterus Semita
by hpggvm fan4ever
Summary: 19 days after the battle in the hellmouth buffy feels something that will change the lives of the scooby gang forever. rated M for future content. pairings B/S W/Oz X/A F/Wood. ch1 and 2 fixed.
1. Feelings made known

**AN: This is my first Buffy story that I am attempting to write. I hope you like it. BTW I am in major need of a beta. If you are one or if you know of one please let me know, not only for this fic but for any others that I may write. Please and Thank you**

**I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, if I did, Spike would not have died, and him and Buffy would have been together and in love long before they were.**

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It had been 19 days since Buffy had watched Spike burn in the Hellmouth. The dreams every night were torturing her: seeing different ways of saving him, of not letting go of his hand, or of him laughing at her words saying that dying was better than staying with her. She had lost weight in the days that had passed, her skin becoming pale and waxy, her hair tangled and lacking its normal vibrancy. Currently she was sitting in her room in her and Dawn's new apartment in London.

Willow was coming today, to discuss with Giles and the rest of the Scooby's what they were going to do with the slayers - how to train them as well as the new council. Willow, as well as Xander were going to stay with Buffy and Dawn, instead of Council headquarters, because Dawn had called Willow, hoping that maybe Buffy's best friends could snap her sister out of her depression. Thankfully though Kennedy wasn't going to be there, she had stayed in South America looking for slayers.

Buffy had heard the doorbell, but made no move to go and answer it, seeing as she preferred to stay in her dark room. She heard Dawn and Willow whispering - a side effect of Willow's spell on the potentials. Since all the potentials had been made slayers Buffy's senses had improved, she could see, hear and smell things that others couldn't, she was stronger and her slayer healing had improved as well, she figured that she was now closer to her slayer demon than any of the other slayers.

"I'm worried about her Willow," Dawn said. "She doesn't leave her room, except to use the bathroom. And it's dark in there, I mean really dark Willow. She doesn't eat except maybe half a meal every other day. She's getting sick now too, I hear her throwing up all the time, not that there is anything in her system. She's not herself Willow, she even kicked Giles out the other day."

Willow sighed, she knew Buffy was depressed about Spike, and she understood, there were still times when she still wished for Tara. "I don't know what I can do to help Dawnie, but I suppose I can shed some light on the reason as to why she would kick Giles out. My guess is that he said something inappropriate about Spike. Perhaps about him being 'just a demon'."

"I miss him too Willow, I really do," Dawn said on the verge of tears, "but she's wasting away. She wasn't even this bad when you guys brought her back."

"That's because she had Spike to help her deal with everything. He was her comfort and confidant in a time where we all expected her to be who she was before she died. She just lost the man she loves, it's hard to deal with Dawnie, I know."

"I just wish…" however what Dawn was going to say was cut off by Buffy's screaming. Willow and Dawn ran to her room only to see her thrashing around on her bed with her left hand on fire.

"SPIKE!" Buffy screamed. Willow and Dawn tried to hold her down, Willow muttering a spell trying to put the fire out. After about a minute Buffy went suddenly rigid then limp. She lay there panting with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What is it Buffy?" Dawn asked in a soft voice while running her hands across Buffy's hair.

"I felt him," she choked out. "He's back, but not really." Buffy's tears started coming faster again. "I can feel him, it's faint but I can feel him Dawnie."

"So he's close by then," Willow said.

"I don't know, I can't get a good feeling of him. I've always felt him though, even when I was first called, before we had ever met. I don't know how though," Buffy said. After seeing her sister and best friends confused looks she explained more. "At first I just thought it was random vamps. After a while I figured it was Angel, I mean he was always following me, but then I focused and learnt how to tell the vamp tingles apart and I learned that it was Spike that I felt." Willow and Dawn looked amazed. "And then he was chipped so he was always around us, so I figured that was what was setting the tingles off, but I felt him when he left Sunnydale and went to Africa. I knew exactly where he was, and I figured that I had finally driven him back to Drusilla, that's why I was so down last summer." Buffy sniffled and coughed, this was the most she had talked in over three weeks. Willow went and grabbed a glass of water for her. "I couldn't feel him come back to Sunnydale, I thought he was still in Africa, at least I had until I saw him in the school basement. I think The First was blocking him, but couldn't do it after that."

"That makes sense, The First did not want you guys together," Dawn said absentmindedly.

"So you think Spike might be back somehow?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, but I can't tell where, it's almost as if he's not fully here," Buffy said quietly.

"I might be able to find out with the help of the Coven." Dawn raised an eyebrow at that comment. "I may be a 'goddess' but I still don't fully understand my powers," she explained.

Buffy launched herself at Willow and cried into her shoulder, "Oh thank you."

"Air Buffy, need to breathe," Willow choked out.

"Sorry I don't know my new strength, haven't exactly tested it out."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked sounding overly curious.

"It happened in the Hellmouth," Buffy snapped at them. This was her normal response when she was asked about what happened in the final battle.

Faith had told everyone about the fight, but hadn't mentioned the connection that she had seen between Buffy and Spike. "It's not mine or anyone else's business what happened with you and Spike. It's up to you to tell them, I won't say a word B," Faith had told Buffy right before she and Wood had gone to Cleveland to start setting up the new slayer school that was to be placed there.

"Faith never said anything about new strength," Willow mused.

"She might not have it. I felt it when you did the spell Wills. I can see, hear and smell things I have never been able to before. I'm stronger and I can heal almost instantly too," Buffy explained, thinking about the stab wound that she got in the battle.

"I'd be willing to research it," Dawn said excitedly. "I'm all for the researchy goodness."

"Ok Dawn will do the research thing, and I'll contact the Coven and see what we can find about Spike," Willow said. "Is there anything else you can tell me about your connection to Spike?"

"There is more," Buffy said reluctantly.

"You can tell us Buffy," Dawn said soothingly.

"I'm the same way for him. He felt it when I was called. He wanted to come find me, see what it was he felt, he didn't realize I was the slayer until he saw me at the Bronze. Drusilla saw me coming though, she went crazy when I was called. Apparently she started muttering, 'The sunshine has arrived. My poor dark prince, he is not ready to leave mummy yet.' She dragged him to Prague then. He told me that he would have gone to a different Hellmouth to heal Dru, but he wanted to see me, find out why he could always feel me."

"He tried to tell me that once, during the summer you were gone," Dawn said softly. "I told him that it was just him not wanting to believe that you were dead. He said that he had felt you die before though, so he knew what it felt like, he knew that you were really dead. He just wanted to explain why he had come to Sunnydale and not gone somewhere else."

"I know Dawnie," Buffy said softly and then continued, "When he came back from Africa, he was always muttering 'Feel the girl, mate. Demons mate. No, demon won't hurt the girl again.' I think he figured out what it meant, why we could always feel each other, but thought it would hurt me. He never wanted to hurt me, not even after all that I had done to him." At this confession Buffy started sobbing again.

"What do you mean Buffy?" Willow asked, confused about that statement, they all knew what had happened in the bathroom, but not anything leading up to it. Finally Buffy had no choice, and she told Dawn and Willow about the year she had come back and everything she did to Spike, and then this past year, how he helped her and finally what happened in the Hellmouth.

"Oh Buffy," Willow said with tears in her eyes while Dawn rocked Buffy back and forth.

"Shh, he believed you Buffy," Dawn said. "He wanted you to leave him though, he wants you to live remember?"

"_So one of us is living,_" Buffy shakily sang.

"Exactly," Dawn smiled softly at her older sister. She could tell Buffy was exhausted by her breakdown. "Now you sleep, Willow and I have jobs to do."

"I just miss him so much," Buffy murmured. "It feels like part of me is missing."

"We know Buff," Willow said, pulling Buffy's blanket over Buffy, and tucked it around her.

As Willow was walking out of the room she heard Buffy murmur to Dawn, "I should have asked Anya, she would have known. We never used her demon knowledge to help us, we should have. I wish Anyanka was here," Buffy added out loud softly, instead of in her mind.

Suddenly there was flash of grey light by Buffy's bed, and out stepped the previously mentioned ex-demon, although the ex didn't seem to apply anymore. "At least you had since enough to wish for Anyanka and not Anya, otherwise I wouldn't have my powers. And this time Hoffy says that they can't be taken from me and that I'm technically not a 'Justice Demon'," Anya said, rolling her eyes at the term Justice Demon.

"It's good to see you Anya, we've missed you, espically Xander," Dawn said getting off Buffy bed and hugging her.

"Yes well, it's not fun being dean either, now I heard what you were talking about and your right Buffy I can help you," Anya said getting straight to the point. "You need to call Faith and Xander to hear this too, it affects all of us, but I will only trust them with this information."

"What about Giles?" Willow asked.

"Giles cannot be trusted. I have been shown what was to have come had Buffy not made that wish for me out loud and it is bad. Worse than The First, and Giles is right there in the front lines, leading the way to the destruction of this dimension," Anya said with a serious look. "I've been sent to help you, and to save the Powers champions. More will be explained later, but I need Faith and Xander here at the moment please."

"I'll call Faith, Willow can you call Xander?" Dawn asked.

"Right away," Willow replied, following Dawn out of the room, leaving Anya to talk to Buffy.

Anya sat down on the bed next to Buffy and stroked her hair and said, "He is back, and once I explain everything you can go get him. He's a ghost at the moment, but you can fix that for him. Now why don't you go get yourself cleaned up and we can start this whole shebang and then you can get your vampire back."

"I can get my vampire back?" Buffy questioned in awe. At Anya's nod Buffy smiled and got out of bed for something other than going to the bathroom for the first time in two weeks. She was a little shaky at first, but headed into the bathroom.

It was thirty minutes later when Buffy was finished, and when she walked into the living room, everyone was there waiting for her. Dawn, Faith and Willow all sitting on the couch, while Xander and Anya where curled up on a chair. Buffy sat on the floor in front of her sister, and motioned for Anya to proceed.

Anya stood and said, "I was shown what would have happened this year if not for a wish by Buffy, said out loud instead of in her head. I can show all of you this if you want, if not you are free to leave, but let me tell you this, what I was shown was not pretty, and will be at times painful for each of you to see. Knowing this would you like to know what was to have happened?" Seeing each person shake their head yes, Anya muttered, "Posterus semita."

A bright blue light engulfed the five others in the room, and they were shown a future full of chaos and death.

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Yes I realize that this is a cliffhanger but I want to see if I get any reviews to know if this is worth continuing.


	2. A Vision of the Future

**AN: I do not own BTVS or any of it characters. That goes to the amazing Joss. Quotes from Buffy and Angel are property of the writers of _Chosen_, _Just Rewards _and _Destiny_ and are copied from twiztv . com.**

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The group of five watched the future unfold before their eyes, however the first thing they saw stunned four of them, and made one watch again as the love of her life disintegrated into ash:

"_Go on, then," Spike said._

"_No. No, you've done enough. You could still…" Buffy replied, looking panicked at him bathed in sunlight._

"_No, you've beat them back. It's for me to do the cleanup," Spike replied as t__he walls were crumbling around them. _

"_Spike!" Buffy shouted with worry._

"_I mean it! I gotta do this," he said as he holds out his hand to stop her._

_Buffy laces her fingers through Spike's. They both look at their hands in amazement as they burst into flame._

Buffy rubes the scars on her hand, crying silently. They others turned shocked eyes to Buffy's hand, but quickly looked back at the scene before them at Buffy's next words.

"_I love you," Buffy says, tears shimmering in her eyes._

_Spike looks at her in awe before saying, "No you don't. But thanks for saying it." A__nother earthquake shakes the cave and Buffy lets go of his hand. "Now go!" he yells. Buffy runs up the stairs. "I wanna see how it ends."_

_Spike stands in the crumbling Hellmouth with light shining down on him from above, grinning from ear to ear and laughing as he burns up from the sunlight. He dusts slowly—first his skin singes, then his muscles, then his bones—then he's gone. The Hellmouth crumbles in around him._

The gang gasps, and barely has time to prepare themselves before they are shown the next vision.

_Angel is talking to the gang in his office_. _R__ubbing his chin, Angel says, "We're gonna change things. We came to Wolfram and Hart because it's a powerful weapon." He pauses to pick up the envelope from his desk and rips open the envelope. "We'll deal... with whatever comes next." An amulet falls out of the envelope._

_Immediately, the amulet activates. A black whirlwind erupts from it, causing papers on Angel's desk to stir. The ashen whirlwind starts to glow with flecks of orange as something begins to materialize inside it. A man's skeletal form shows, and then it gradually fills out until it's complete. The wind fades and Spike is standing there, screaming and grunting, in the middle of the office, right where the amulet fell._

_Spike, still staring at Angel, transforms into vampire facade and lunges angrily at Angel, snarling fiercely. Angel braces for impact, but Spike goes right through him. Spike stops, turns around, and looks down at his body— his legs have disappeared inside Angel's desk. Spike l__ooks up and frowns, and says "Bugger."_

The gang watched as Spike asked about Buffy and was only told that she was in Europe. They watched as Spike disappeared and the relief on Angel's face, and what they saw next shocked all of them to the core. They saw Angel call Giles and tell him that Spike was back and that he was a ghost at the moment, and then he asked Giles for a way to keep Buffy and Spike apart. Giles agreed to help, stating that Buffy would be a good little girl now that her coping mechanism was gone and would bend to his will and soon he and Angel would be in charge of everything.

The next scene the group sees is Angel talking on the phone with Giles again. Angel tells of how Spike is corporeal again, but he will keep Spike away from Buffy and her child. The vision then cuts to Spike and Angel fighting:

_Spike, "__Come on! Let's see how much soul you really got in there." _

_Angel, "__Spike, we don't have time for this."_

_Spike, "__Keep your knickers dry, Sally. You're not gonna last that long."_

_Angel, "__Fine. We'll do it your way."_

_Angel and Spike start fist-fighting. They trade punches, and then Spike throws Angel up in the air, where he lands on a balcony behind him. Angel lands on a cross, which burns him, and he recoils angrily, kicking the cross down to the stage below._

_Spike, "__Ha ha ha! Oh, yeah. Look at you. Thinking you're the big savior—fighting for truth, justice, and soccer moms—but you still can't lay flesh on a cross without smelling like bacon, can you?"_

_Angel, "__Like you're any different." _

_Spike, "__Well, that's just it. I am. And you know it. You had a soul forced on you—as a curse. Make you suffer for all the horrible things you'd done. But me... I fought for my soul. Went through the demon trials. Almost did me in a dozen times over, but I kept fighting. 'Cause I knew it was the right thing to do." He jumps up to the balcony in one smooth motion, landing in front of Angel. "It's my destiny."_

_Angel, "__Really? Heard it was just to get into a girl's pants." _

_Spike uses his toe to lift a metal rod of rebar into his hands. He swings it at Angel, but Angel does a somersault off of the balcony, landing on the stage near the cup. Angel walks toward the cup, when Spike throws the rebar at him like a spear, narrowly missing him. Angel turns to look at Spike, who jumps from the balcony wielding another rod of rebar._

_Spike __jumping yells, "Yaaaagh!"_

_Angel grabs the first piece of rebar that Spike threw at him and uses it to deflect Spike's weapon. __Angel and Spike are fighting, using the rebar rods as staffs. Angel gets a punch in, knocking Spike down. _

_Spike stands and says, "__Used to hit a lot harder, gramps."_

_Angel retorts, "__No, your head's just gotten thicker."_

_They continue to fight, and Angel pushes Spike further and further back. Angel finally swings the rebar rod like a baseball bat, knocking Spike up into the balcony. Angel follows him, ready to swing at Spike again, but Spike stands and blocks the swing._

_Spike, "__You're not gonna win this time."_

_Spike punches Angel, knocking him off of the balcony. He lands on the stage below, coughing and bleeding at the mouth._

_Spike __jumping down to the stage, says, "Vampire with a soul. Nobody knows what side he's gonna fight on... when the big show comes down. Except we already know what side you're on, don't we? Already made your choice. Traded in your cape and tights for a nice comfy chair at Wolfram & bloody Hart."_

_Spike swings the rebar, ready to jab it into Angel's neck, but Angel reaches up and grabs it before he can complete the motion._

_Angel, "__Little more complicated than that." He pauses, uses the rebar Spike's holding to get leverage to stand, knocking Spike down in the process. "But you always were a bit simple... Will," Then throws the rebar down, walks toward the cup. __As Angel reaches for the cup, Spike charges at him, punching him hard, knocking them both down. They stand, both having their hand at the other's throat._

_Spike, "__Come on, hero. Tell me more," punches Angel, "Teach me what it means." Punches Angel, "And I'll tell you why you can't stand the bloody sight of me," punches Angel._

_Angel, __punches Spike, "Tell it to your therapist," punches Spike._

_Spike, __punches Angel, "'Cause every time you look at me..." punches Angel, "you see all the dirty little things I've done," punches Angel, "all the lives I've taken..." punches Angel, "because of you! Drusilla sired me..." punches Angel, "but you... you made me a monster," punches Angel, walks toward the cup. _

_Angel, __collapses to the ground, "I didn't make you, Spike. I just opened up the door..." starts to get up, "and let the real you out." _

_Spike picks up the cross that burned Angel before and swings it at Angel, knocking him across the room. Spike holds the cross in his hands. __Spike, "__You never knew the real me." His hands sizzle on the cross; he throws it away and walks toward Angel, "Too busy trying to see your own reflection... praying there was someone as disgusting as you in the world, so you could stand to live with yourself. Take a long look, hero. I'm nothing like you!"_

_Angel, "__No. You're less. That's why Buffy never really loved you: Because you weren't me."_

_Spike __grabs Angel by the lapels and says, "Guess that means she was thinking about you... all those times I was puttin' it to her."_

Everyone looks away from Buffy, while she just smile sadly, knowing that that comment was his 'Big Bad' bravado in place, and not something that he would say to her or anyone else if not for Angel's goading.

_Angel grabs Spike's wrists and pulls them apart. He punches Spike, and then throws him across the room, causing some of the wood props to shatter. They fist fight, and Spike jabs Angel in the arm with a splinter of wood. Angel rips the splinter out of his arm and glares at Spike._

_Angel, "__All right..." changes into vampire face, "let's finish this."_

_Spike changes into vampire face as well. They charge each other.__In full vampire form, Angel and Spike fight on the stage of the opera house. _

_Angel __scratches Spike's chest with a fragment of wood, "How's it feel?"_

_Spike __scratches Angel's chest, "You tell me."_

_Spike kicks Angel repeatedly in the gut, and the wood fragment Angel was holding goes flying into the air. Spike kicks Angel to the ground, grabs the wood fragment from the air, and rears back in a staking motion. He pauses for a moment, and then drives the stake into Angel's body, causing him to scream in pain. Spike stands looks down at Angel, revealing that he drove the stake into Angel's shoulder. Angel lets his face slip back into human form._

_Spike, "__Probably should've dusted you." He returns to human face, "But honestly... I don't want to hear her bitch about it." Then he turns to walk toward the cup._

Everyone is in awe of the beating that Spike gave Angel, but each knows that what Angel said has gotten to Spike, and knows that without a better clue to go on then Europe that Spike wouldn't come looking for Buffy.

The next scenes are flashes: _of Giles telling Angel that the casket is out of the deeper well, and Angel saying that Fred was infected as planned. Of Spike passed out on a plane with Angel talking to someone telling them to enthrall Buffy and Dawn so that they would appear to have moved on from Spikes death and that Angel was in on the plan. Of Angel's apparent plan to take out the Circle of Black Thorn to hurt the senior partners, while all the while planning with Giles to tip the scales in the side of evil. And finally the aftermath of the final battle:_

_Giles and Angel were standing in front of the Scooby's, they were held in place by and invisible force, in the center was Buffy, holding a little baby. "You see Buffy, the slayer line runs through you, when you are strong they are strong, when you are weak they are weak."_

"_Why are you doing this Giles?" Buffy asked, tears streaming down her face, holding the baby to her tightly._

"_Because you are immortal. When Willow did her spell it made you immortal, so now I can't just simply kill you," Giles answered emotionlessly._

"_So lover," Angel said, "Did you know that you beloved Spike was back?" All of the Scooby's gasped. "He was easily manipulated, and now I will kill all your friends and that spawn of my worthless grandchilde's and watch as you fall into a pit of despair that you will never over come."_

_As soon as Angel finished talking he grabbed Xander and twisted his neck, then moved onto Willow, "Such power running through you, it is such a shame that you have made it into light power." He then sank his fangs into her neck and drained her dry. Dawn and Buffy were still magically bound but Dawn's eyes were glowing green and the magic holding them was breaking. _

_Dawn suddenly gasped and fell to the ground. While Giles was gloating and Angel was draining Willow, Dawn whispered, "Run Buffy. Take care of William and run!"_

_Angel heard her however and quickly reached over with taloned fingers and slit her throat. _

_Buffy did as Dawn had said, but didn't get very far when she was tripped. She managed to twist in the air so as not to fall on William, when he was grabbed out of her arms._

_Buffy couldn't do anything, any move she made risked the chance of hurting her son. "He would have been immortal you know, had you discovered your mate," Angel said, holding the baby as though he were precious. "I would consider raising him, but he was always meant to be a white hat._

"_Please," Buffy pleaded with her ex, trying to save her son and the only thing she ahd left of Spike._

"_Sorry Buff, but I have a prophecy to discredit," Angel said and then suffocated the baby._

Everyone watched as both Buffy's cried, while the Buffy in the vision fell into a waking coma and slayers all over the world fell to their knees with the loss of their power.

Finally the vision ended, and Anya said, "This is the prophecy that Angel spoke of:

_A vampire with a soul, a champion, will be given new life._

That is what has been translated by Wesley, and Angel assumes that it means that he will become human, idiot. Anyway:

_The last of the chosen, an immortal slayer, will be his love._

_And their love will produce a child, _

_Born to bring peace and balance to the world._

_With the daughter key and the balanced son,_

_The immortal guardians and their __companions will live a full and powerful life_

_As mates they will achieve eternal happiness._

_The fated ten will bring balance into the world _

_With the help of the souled champion's first gift of life"_

Everyone was speechless when Anya finished. It was Buffy who spoke first, her voiced laced in awe, "I'm pregnant." Everyone turned to look at her and saw her smiling for the first time in weeks with her hand over her stomach.

"You are," Anya said. "And now we need to set a plan in motion…"

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I know this is a cliffhanger, but I figured that this was a good stopping place. I'll try to update as soon as possible. Please review, I really love to read everyone's feedback, no flames though please.

The gang looked murderous at that statement, each one knowing the depth of pain Buffy felt when Spike died, and the suffering that she has gone through in the past weeks.


	3. Plans

**Finally got this chapter finished. Sorry about the wait, blame the Navy.**

**I do not now nor have I ever owner Buffy the Vampire Slayer**

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The Scooby's sat, speechless for several minutes. All thinking about what they had just seen and heard, wondering what they were going to do now.

"Wait a second," Dawn said, "Buffy and Spike are mates? That's why they've always been able to feel each other?"

"Very good Dawn," Anya exclaimed. "Yes, Buffy and Spike are mates."

"What does that mean?" Faith asked, knowing that she wasn't the only one in the dark.

Anya smiled when she saw that she had everyone's attention, and explained, "Every person, supernatural or not has a destined mate, one person in the world that is your other half and will fit with you so perfectly that you will give anything to keep that person with you. Not everyone finds their mate though. You still love a person, but they aren't your other half."

"It's why vampires developed mate claims," Buffy said. "They are used to show all other supernaturals that they belong to someone. There are rituals that can be used to find someone's mate, and bind them to each other if they are not a vampire, but both parties have to be 100 percent willing AND open to the idea of belonging to another person, just as they will belong to you."

"Whoa," Xander said, "Buffy swallowed a book."

"No, I researched claims after I was brought back and started up with Spike."

"Why? I thought you didn't love him then?" Willow asked.

Buffy blushed, not actually wanting to tell them why she had had to research claims was that she had taken a good chunk out of Spike and didn't want to be connected to him that way by accident. Seeing the uncomfortable look on her friends face, Anya intervened, "The good news is that I was told who all the guardians are, and that from that list we can figure out who everyone's mate is. Also knowing who they are might help us plan what we are going to do."

Willow pulled a pad of paper and pen off the coffee table and said, "Ready."

Anya pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and read, "The immortal guardians are: Buffy Summers, William Carlisle the third, Dawn Summers-Carlisle, Connor Finnegan, Willow Rosenberg, Daniel Osborne, Alexander Harris, Anyanka, Wesley Windom-Price, Winifred Burkle. Together they are: the Light, the Dark, the Key, the Destroyer, the Goddess, the Wolf, the Seer, the Justice, the Mage, and the Balance."

The group was stunned. The fact that Wes and Fred where part of the guardians was shocking. Yes it was apparent that Wes had finally settled into his own, no one was sure what to think of the two outsiders of their group, of people that had worked with and for Angel for years. They also had no idea who Connor was, having never been told about him to begin with. From the list, everyone was easily able to figure out who their mates were, and this made both Willow and Dawn think.

Willow was the first to speak, "Why, if Oz is my mate, did I choose Tara over him?"

"You didn't, not really," Anya said. "You are a goddess; therefore you have two mates, one of each sex. Before Oz left for good you wished that you would have been able to have both of them."

Nodding her head, willow realized that that made sense. She had wished that she could have been with both of them. "They would have balanced me if I was with both, wouldn't they."

"Yes, they were you're light and dark, without Oz, you became more dark. When Tara died, you also lost you light balance and became neutral."

"Then what will happen if I'm just with Oz?"

"Because Tara is dead, and you have come into your goddess powers without the mating ritual, you will not be affected, and Oz will have power over the wolf, and be able to transform at will, and keep his mind."

Willow just nodded in understanding.

Seeing that Willow was done with her questions Dawn started on hers. "Who's Connor Finnegan?"

"Connor is the son of Angel and Darla, produced by prophecy, after Darla was brought back by Wolfram and Hart. When he was a baby, he was kidnapped by Holtz, an enemy of Angel who was frozen in time. He was taken to a hell dimension and raised to hate vampires, and Angel above all else. When he came back, he helped Jasmine try and take over the world, and after she was defeated, Angel with the help of Wolfram and Hart erased all memories of Connor from his team, and Connor and had Connor placed with a normal family and memories implanted of a normal life. It was one of the conditions of accepting the position," Anya explained to the shocked group.

"So what you're saying is that we also have to remove a memory spell on Wes and Fred, and find this Connor person and remove it on him as well. Won't the just make him how he was before?" Dawn said.

"No, he'll be different," Buffy answered, knowing that she was going to shock everyone by answering. "He will remember both lives and that will give him peace and also help him see right from wrong better. It will also help him see shades of gray, because he will know love and friendship as well as pain and loss."

Everyone could feel the powerful emotions coming off of Buffy as she explained. They could see the years of heartache and loss written on her face, but they could also see the love she had for all of them as well as the perfect love for Spike. It was in that moment that any lingering doubt was replaced with full acceptance.

"So now we need a plan," Xander said. "While I fully believe that dusting Angel would be the best thing to do, I also know that he would still be able to run Wolfram and Hart because of his contract."

"What about Spike?" Dawn asked. "We can't just leave him there, especially if he is a ghost, and with Angel telling him all those things."

"But what if it was Spike's presence that stopped him from trying to destroy the world sooner?" Willow asked.

Buffy sat in silence for several minutes just thinking things over when she had a sudden idea. She knew a way to keep Angel grounded, and maybe even keep him on the side of good. "Guys, I think I know a way," she said. Only Dawn heard her though because everyone else was talking loudly, trying to figure out how to help.

"Hey!" Dawn yelled, gaining everyone attention, "Buffy has an idea."

"What if we could wake up Cordy? She loves Angel, and I know that Angel loves her too. She could keep him grounded, maybe even stop the badness."

Anya just smiled, while everyone else looked shocked at not having thought of that before. "So how are we going to do this B?" Faith asked.

Buffy paused, getting all her thoughts in order and started her explanation. "Neither Giles nor Angel need to know anything that's going on here. So what we are going to do is make a decoy. Willow, I want you to find one of the Sunnydale girls and ask if they will permit you to put a glamor on them to look as if they are me. It is going to need to be a strong glamor as well; we are dealing with people that are well versed in magic. Tell her that she will be going to Rome to set up a post to help find all the new slayers."

"Kennedy will do it. She has some issue with Giles, plus being you will give her more action as a Slayer," Willow added with a small smile.

"Good, also I need you to convince Giles to give you control of the councils money. Tell him that it will be easier if everything is done electronically or something. This will give us the advantage that we would not have otherwise.

Xander, once Willow has control of the money, I want you and Anya in Buffalo, looking for houses. It's a Hellmouth, not quite as active as some of the others but it gets enough action. I want a house big enough for a boarding school, as well as small houses in the demon districts set up as safe houses. You're going to have to hide this house too Wills."

"Not a problem Buff," Xander said at the same time Anya said, "I can set up my shop again."

Nodding at the reunited couple, Buffy turned to Faith and continued, "You are going to be my spy of sorts. Report to both me and Giles. I'm leaving it up to your judgment what you tell him. Once you have finished training the girls, and you think that they are neutral, and can see in shades of gray, send them up to me in Buffalo. From there we will continue their training, before sending them to their next assignment."

"Gotcha B," Faith replied with an evil smirk that hadn't been seen on her face in years.

"What about me Buffy?" Dawn asked.

"The first thing that we are going to do is go to LA and get Spike. We also need to inform Wes, Fred and Cordy what's going on, because Wes and Fred need to stay there for now. We are going to need to remove the memory charm on them and also wake up Cordy, those require the power of the Key, which is you," Buffy added pointing to Dawn. "We are also going to have to free Spike from the amulet but still make it look as if he's attached to it, then have Angel break it. I'm gonna need your help there too Wills."

"Of course Buffy," Willow said, knowing that she would be needed.

"Then we are all going to go to Buffalo and train the girls. I want Rona with me, as well as Vi," Buffy said looking at the Scooby's. "Any questions?" she added as an afterthought.

"What happens if someone sees us who is loyal to Giles?" Anya asked.

"Who would see us?" Xander asked.

"There are people that look up to him Xand," Willow said, a frown marring her face.

"So we all need glamour's as well. But they should only hide our looks from enemy's not from each other," Dawn said.

"That's a good idea Dawnie," Buffy said smiling.

"I can do that, let me just go get Kennedy, Rona and Vi and then we'll do the glamour's," Willow said. "Then Xander and Anya can head to New York, while we go to LA. It will take us a few days in LA; waking Cordy isn't going to be easy."

Everyone nodded in agreement and Willow disappeared in a white light, appearing again not even ten minutes later.

After thirty minutes everyone was up to date on the plans, and the glamour's were in place.

"We'll see you in a few days," Xander said, hugging Buffy, Dawn and Willow.

"I'll let you know how the meetings go," Faith said, knowing that part of her job was to tell Giles that everyone was taking Buffy to Rome, saying that it would be easier to get over Spike if she was some place where people didn't talk like him.

"Be safe Faith," Buffy said, hugging her sister slayer.

"Always B."

"Remember to put up wards before you take to Wes and Fred. Also don't remove the memory spell until they've seen what could have happened. And remember that you are a goddess and that the contract on their souls can be undone by you, especially since they have no knowledge of it as it was signed by Angel as part of the agreement for their memories," Anya said to Willow.

"Right: vision, memories, contract. Got it," Willow said before turning to Buffy and asking, "Ready to get your vampire back."

"Have been for nineteen days," Buffy said taking Dawns hand on one side and Willows hand on the other. Together they watched Anya and Xander disappear in a black flash before they teleported away to the city of Angels.


End file.
